


Never letting you go (again)

by ToTheStarsWriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Bad Parents, Dragon Day, Dragon Magnus, Dragon Riders, Dragons, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Magnus, Protective Magnus, Shadowhunter celebrations, The Uprising, i might, if I add more, this is another dragon fic, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:28:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24601591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: Dragon Day was a huge day in shadowhunter culture. It was considered potentially one of the most important days in a shadowhunter's life. Dragon Day was when unbonded dragons came out of their secret homes and opened themselves up to their hearts and their magic, whatever it was that led them, and they flew around the world until they found their Rider.This is Alec's first year in charge of the event, and he wants everything to go perfectly.He never expected to end his day likethis.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 22
Kudos: 608
Collections: Malace 101, Malec best, Tales of Malec & Dragons





	Never letting you go (again)

**Author's Note:**

> Yes - this is another dragon fic. I've had Alec as a dragon, written Alec finding a dragon, and then I realized there was one version of this I hadn't done yet. So, here it is. Enjoy Magnus as a dragon!

The whole Institute had gone a little crazy. For the past two weeks Alec had been doing his best to prepare everyone and everything. Ever since his parents had sent the message that they had an important appointment with the Clave, and they wouldn't be attending Dragon Day this year. Which meant that they'd effectively taken the planning for that and dumped it in the lap of their eighteen-year-old son to handle.

While Alec had been leading the Institute off and on for the past year while his parents took care of whatever it was that kept them so often in Idris, that didn't mean he was ready for an undertaking of this magnitude. Dragon Day was a huge day in shadowhunter culture. It was considered potentially one of the most important days in a shadowhunter's life.

Dragon Day was when unbonded dragons came out of their secret homes and opened themselves up to their hearts and their magic, whatever it was that led them, and they flew around the world until they found their Rider.

For as far back as their history books could say, dragons and shadowhunters had always been a part of one another's lives. From the moment that Jonathan Shadowhunter took on his very first rune and imbued his body with the power Raziel gave him, there'd been a dragon by his side. A companion born of magic and sacrifice, powered by the magic of the earth itself.

It was said that when Raziel came down to bless his chosen humans and task them with protecting the world from demons, the world had responded as well, taking its own chosen humans and turning them into dragons to help aid them. Warlocks, to be precise. Beings who already had magic in them, who were born of both heaven and hell, and who would be able to survive the transformation into something greater.

The two beings were created to work together. To help with that, the very first Rider bond had been formed. It was what connected a dragon to their rider – two beings meant to be together, more powerful when with one another. A fighting unit that rivaled even that of the parabatai bond. For while the parabatai bond made two fighters stronger, the rider bond gave them so much more. It wasn't just sharing bits of soul. It was tying two beings together through mind, soul, and body.

Dragons were strong, powerful, amazing beings with an intelligence that surpassed humans. They were also very, very loyal to their shadowhunter - their Rider. Their pride was something to watch out for. Offending them was easy, and the repercussions were dangerous.

There were some out there who didn't believe in bonding with the dragons. How, Alec had never understood, but they considered it an abomination, especially knowing where dragons had once come from. Being created from warlocks made them tainted, some had said. Demonic. They claimed that bonding with a dragon was inviting that taint into their own bodies and sacrificing the purity of their angelic blood when they did.

Those thoughts were what had led to Valentine's rise and the creation of the Circle. Valentine wanted to purify their race - purify the world. HIs plan had been the death of anything that wasn't mundane or shadowhunter. So many had died at his hands. Downworlder, shadowhunter, and dragons alike. They'd all suffered thanks to Valentine. And they'd all rejoiced at his defeat.

With him gone, there had been so many shadowhunters left without their dragons, and dragons who had laid down to die at the side of their shadowhunter. Bonded rarely lived long without the other there.

But little by little they were slowly rebuilding their societies. Years had gone by since then, and in that time they'd started to finally begin to settle once more, even just a little.

The first few years after Valentine's death were said to have been dismal. Very few dragons had wanted to risk making the flight from their nesting grounds. They'd stayed and kept themselves safe in the one place not even Valentine had been able to find. There, no one could hurt them, and their young were safe to grow.

But with each passing year more and more dragons were starting to emerge to make that flight once more.

That was why Dragon Day was more important than ever. Alec knew he couldn't risk offending any of the dragons that might land at his Institute. They needed to make the dragons feel welcome here, and they needed to make sure that this was a place they might come back to if they didn't find their rider today.

There were a few shadowhunters under Alec's care that didn't have a dragon. He himself was one of them. It was said once that very few shadowhunters made it past ten before they were found by their dragon. But times had changed a lot thanks to Valentine. Now, there were riders who weren't found by their dragon until they were almost in their twenties.

Out of his siblings, only Isabelle had her bond already. She was just a few years younger than Alec, but she'd been bonded since she was six. Alec could clearly remember being with his sister on Dragon Day that year when a small, buzzing black bolt had practically raced through the Institute and almost slammed into her. Alec had been terrified at first – Isabelle had laughed.

From that moment on the two were inseparable. Once Alec had realized what was going on, he'd been thrilled for his sister, and more than happy to add the new little hatchling into his care. It didn't occur to him that someone else should've been doing the caretaking. Isabelle had been Alec's responsibility for years already by that point. Her dragon was a part of her; that meant it was Alec's job to care for him, too.

Isabelle was always so supportive any time the subject of dragons came up. She assured both Jace and Alec that the parabatai pair would find their own dragons one day soon. “You guys will find them soon, I just know it!”

It was the same thing she said every single Dragon Day. This year was no different.

“You'll find them,” she promised Alec the night before Dragon Day, leaning against his arm as they ate their dinner in the mess hall. It wasn't often they went in there. Alec wasn't fond of the food, and he liked to make sure that his family actually ate healthy once in a while. But on a night like tonight, right before such an important day, Isabelle had insisted it was vital that their leader be seen eating and mingling with everyone else. That it would give them a sense of peace and comfort.

Alec didn't want to admit that she might be right. So far, twelve different people had stopped by their table to say hi, to check in about tomorrow, or to just smile at them as they'd passed. Not all of them were the younger crowd that Alec was more used to dealing with, either. Some of these people were old enough to be his parents. And yet, without his parents here it was _him_ that they were looking to in these times. It was Alec that they sought out for reassurance. Some seemed to want to stay back, to watch him fail, but for the most part the people of this Institute were Alec's even if he didn't realize it.

Across from them, Jace let out a snort. “You always say that,” he told Isabelle, waving a fork at her. His tone held just a hint of a bite to it. “Maybe we're just not that concerned with finding dragons. You ever think about that?”

The words weren't entirely true. Alec knew just how much Jace wanted to find a dragon. He could feel the longing in their bond that Jace could never fully mute when Dragon Day rolled around. But Alec had also heard the whispered words Jace shared after some particularly bad nightmares. He knew better than anyone the damage Jace's father had done to him, and the scars he'd inflicted on a young boy who had once dared dream of a dragon coming to rescue him away from the hell he'd lived in.

In the end, no one had rescued Jace, and he'd been convinced that meant that no one ever would. On the outside he played like having a dragon was no big deal. Like he didn't want it. But on the inside, Alec knew there was still a lot of that little boy he'd once been, hoping against hope that there was someone out there who was meant to love him for who he was no matter what.

Isabelle made a soft snorting sound. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.” She waved a hand at Jace like she was dismissing his words out of the air. The gesture almost made Tylee fall off his place on her shoulder. The young lighting dragon had grown quite a bit since they'd first met, but he often liked to stay in his smaller form so that he could ride on Isabelle wherever he went, a quiet little sentinel on her shoulder who would have no issue shredding anyone who dared insult or hurt her. It made them quite the deadly pair.

“Iz.” Alec cut in before Isabelle could push it any further. She loved Jace like a brother, just like she loved Alec, but that didn't mean that they couldn't get on one another's nerves. No one knew how to push your buttons better than family. And this was a topic the two were both particularly passionate about, and on different terms.

All it took was saying her name to get Isabelle to quiet down. She ducked her head, huffing out a low “fine” that had Jace shooting Alec a grateful look over her head. Of course, it didn't keep her down for long. Soon enough Isabelle was lifting her head again and beaming up at him. “Are _you_ at least a little bit excited, hermano?”

Alec rolled his eyes and stabbed at the bit of apple on his plate. “Overjoyed.”

“You did a great job getting everything ready. The Institute looks amazing!”

That, at least, and Alec perking up a little. He'd done his damndest to try and make sure that this place looked ready for whatever dragons might show up. He'd had it all cleaned from top to bottom, and the traditional decorations had been pulled out. Just because Alec hadn't planned his own Dragon Day in the past didn't mean he hadn't watched his parents and others do it countless times. He knew the traditional colors to hang on the outside of the Institute, and he'd prepared the spaces on the inside as well.

Rooms were ready for newly bonded pairs to go off into seclusion so that they'd have time and privacy to be able to settle their bond. Those rooms were warded to make sure that no one got in there that wasn't allowed. They were also warded in a way that would prevent scents and sounds form getting in or out once the door was closed. That was a vital step. New dragons were often territorial and very, very willing to defend their claim on their rider.

Alec went to bed that night hoping that he'd thought of everything. The last thing he wanted was to have his first Dragon Day while Head of the Institute – even if it was just ‘Acting’ Head – be a failure. If he offended one of the dragons that came by, if he got a new bonded pair in his Institute and wasn't ready for them, the repercussions could be serious. Dragons might be less likely to come here. Or they could be more likely to request their rider transfer to a different Institute.

Those thoughts kept Alec tossing and turning through the night. By the time dawn rolled around, he gave up on trying to sleep and got himself up and dressed before heading down to his parents’ office. There was some paperwork Alec could get done before everyone else started to get up for breakfast. Most of the Institute was going to be sticking around through the day. Even those that had been on patrol in the early morning hours, people who would usually be asleep by now, were still awake and casually wandering around. Even their already bonded pairs were up and waiting.

Many of the hopefuls liked to go to the back courtyard to wait. That space was big and open – a perfect training grounds for riders and their dragons. Or, on days like this, or even nice summer days, it was a perfect spot for dragons to shift to their larger forms and lay around for a while.

Whatever magic had been done in the creation of their Institutes, the backyard that should've been so much smaller than it appeared was one of their marvels. From the outside – beyond the glamour – it looked like the Institute was an old, broken down church, and their backyard was just an old graveyard. In reality, the Institute was beautiful, and that graveyard was something at least six times the size of what it looked like, and full of grass, rocks, and even a small pond of water, everything that various dragon types would need to feel at home.

Alec chose not to go there even as others in the Institute woke up and headed out that way. Instead, once he finished his paperwork he made a point to go to the Ops Center where a skeleton crew was keeping watch on things. Alec had made sure that each part of this crew was an already bonded shadowhunter. He wasn't going to pin down any of the hopefuls. That wasn't fair to them.

He wasn't surprised to find that Jace was already there. One look at his brother's too-still form, which was at complete odds with the jittery feeling in their bond, and Alec sighed. He walked over and smacked at Jace's shoulder, waiting till his head snapped around before gesturing toward the main training room. While Alec had done everything he could to make sure they were ready for the day, and he had security in place for if something went wrong, there was nothing really for him to do while he waited. Sparring with Jace was as good a time killer as anything else.

A grin lit up Jace's features. “Hell yeah.”

Their bond was already settling a little before they'd even made it over there. Alec went to the wall, grabbing a pair of staffs. That would require enough concentration for both of them while allowing them to still strike out and relieve a bit of stress without causing too much damage.

He tossed one Jace's way. Then Alec shed his sweater and overshirt until he stood in jeans and a tank top.

“You're going down today,” Jace said, grinning at him. He'd shed his shirt as well, though that left him bare from the waist up.

Alec had a moment to discreetly appreciate a view that had taunted him off and on since Jace had joined them. One he'd learned to appreciate without trying to turn it into more. Now, he was free to grin right back at Jace, sharp and dangerous. “That’s what you think.”

The two began to circle one another slowly, feeling each other out. Sparring was one of the favorite pastimes of the nephilim. But between parabatai it was more of a challenge. Their bond allowed them to read one another, to be able to fight side-by-side and trust the other to have their back without having to look. It was great on the battlefield. In training, it presented a unique challenge. How could you fight against someone who could practically predict what you were going to do?

That was why most parabatai pairs preferred to practice together against _other_ opponents instead of _each other_. They didn't like fighting one another.

Jace and Alec loved it.

They loved the challenge that came with sparring against one another. However, it meant that their sparring sessions often lasted a lot longer than others, and occasionally they could draw quite the crowd.

Today was no different. Even with everything else going on, with Dragon Day happening around them and the eager anticipation as they all waited for a dragon to show, there were still a few who ended up leaning against the sidelines observing as Jace and Alec came together and apart time after time. The sound of their staffs connecting again and again echoed loudly around them, and their grins were bright.

Alec twisted, feinting left only to swipe the staff down at the last moment, swiping Jace's feet out from under him. He grinned as his brother hit the ground and immediately rolled away from him. “Gettin' tired?” Alec called out tauntingly.

Jace's grin grew wider. He shoved up to his feet, staff spinning and then settling into his grip once more. “As if. Why? Hoping I'll let you off easy?”

Instead of responding to the taunt verbally, Alec launched forward in a series of offensive attacks. Usually he liked to play defense a little, especially when Jace was a in a mood like today. It was easier to let him burn off some of his anger that way. But once he got Jace going, shifting to offense was a lot more fun. The two of them actually got to _fight_ that way instead of just play around.

However, when Alec started to move against his brother, stick blurring as he swung it this way and that, there was one thing he hadn't taken into account with their day. One thing that Alec couldn’t possibly have planned for.

He was about to swing the stick in and go for a blow against Jace's leg that would help break his stance, making it easier for Alec to move in and send him to the ground again, when all of a sudden a jet of bright white came tearing into the training room. In a flash, Alec found himself flying back through the air and right into the weapons rack. He hit hard, his body screaming at the impact while his instincts had him dropping down and shifting his hold on his staff, eyes up and ready to find whatever the hell had come at him here in the training room.

Only, as soon as he caught sight of what it was, he immediately lowered his staff. It hadn't been a person who'd attacked him, or some sort of magic.

It was a dragon.

Jace's dragon, to be exact. That was easy enough to see as Jace was being pushed back against the wall as far from Alec as it was possible to get in this room. In front of him was a white dragon about the size of a small horse. They were pure white, with sharp blue eyes that were glaring right at Alec. They had their wings up on either side of them in a clearly threatening display.

From what Alec could see between those wings, Jace as behind the dragon trying to stroke at them, likely murmuring something as well judging by the way his lips were moving. In their bond, Alec could clearly feel Jace's disbelief, and a small hint of worry, but it was all drowned out by the sheer _joy_ of having found his dragon. One who apparently thought Alec had been about to seriously hurt their rider.

“It's okay,” Jace's voice was loud enough this time that Alec could actually hear him. “He wasn't trying to hurt me. That's my parabatai.”

“He was attacking you!” the dragon snapped, voice high and sharp, with a feminine edge to it.

Alec immediately chided himself for thinking that. Dragons weren't as rigid on gender as shadowhunters were. Alec had met many a dragon with different pronouns over the years.

Slowly, carefully, Alec lowered his staff to the ground, wanting to appear as nonthreatening as possible. Something he knew he wasn't good at. Isabelle liked to tease that Alec managed to look grumpy and threatening even in his sleep.

“Now, now,” a new voice said, sounding somehow both pleasant and threatening all at the same time. “Put away your wings, Pash. No one here is going to hurt your Rider. But you'll find out pretty quickly why you shouldn't piss me off if you end up hurting _mine_.”

Something in that voice drew Alec's attention like nothing else could have. His body responded to it almost instinctively, turning that way without him having even made the choice to do it. It was like it reached down into the very core of him and thrummed a chord in the deep, private chambers of his soul. Like hearing a song that he’d always known, only someone had turned the volume up so Alec couldn’t focus on anything else. His body shuddered under it as it echoed through him.

Slowly, like moving through molasses, Alec found himself turning. Everything else around him faded away. The only thing Alec could focus on was the single most beautiful sight he had ever seen – a golden dragon that was casually strolling into the training room like they owned the place.

This dragon was taller than the other, yet skinnier, too, though muscled. Their tail was long and slender, ending in a point that bore no spikes, spines, or razor sharp fins like some. Spikes ran from just the middle of their forehead, down their neck and back, slowly tapering off near their tail.

They were almost completely gold, save for bits of dark purple here and there. It was around their eyes, in stripes along their cheeks, the little bits of hair under their chin, the softer scales of their throat and stomach, and the membranes of their wings. The two colors together made the dragon shine like a jewel. Alec could only imagine how much they’d sparkle out in the sun.

The dragon grinned at him. Wings lifting out to block the others, they came to a stop in front of Alec and sat down, eyes unashamedly looking Alec over. Even like this, the dragon was just a few inches shorter than him while sitting. And this was likely the dragon’s _small_ form.

“Well now, if I’d known how gorgeous you were, I might have come earlier,” the dragon said teasingly, grin growing until sharp teeth flashed.

Alec felt his cheeks fill with a blush he couldn’t stop. He was grateful the wings kept anyone from seeing them. Though that didn’t mean that no one would be able to hear them. Word would travel fast through the Institute about the dragon coming to claim Alec, and the fact that his first words were to call Alec _gorgeous_. Dragons saw absolutely no shame in pointing out beauty in things. Be it an object, an idea, a place, or a person. But none had ever said that to _Alec_ before.

The dragon lifted their head a little more, taking a small sniff, and then they moved just a little closer. But unlike any other dragon that Alec had seen at bonding, this one didn’t try and come in any closer than that. They didn’t crowd him, or push into his space, or scent-mark him, or any of the other things that Alec was used to seeing from possessive dragons as they claimed their Rider. Maybe he was reading this wrong. Maybe Alec was the only one feeling something here, and this dragon was just protecting him?

Almost as if the dragon could sense Alec's thoughts, even without a bond, the smile they wore wiped away. In its place was something softer and sadder. Then, in a move Alec didn’t expect, the dragon met his gaze once more and bluntly said, “Alexander Lightwood, I owe you an apology.”

Alec blinked his eyes in surprise a few times. “What?”

Those beautiful golden eyes looked away for a moment, and Alec caught a sense of shame and guilt. It was a combination Alec knew well. He’d felt the same thing many times over the years. His parents were good at inspiring that complicated twist of emotions in him.

The dragon visibly winced. When he looked back at Alec, his eyes were impossibly sadder. “I met you already once, long, long ago. You were too young to remember it, but I… I felt it the day you were born, and I knew my Rider was out there.”

It took a second for those words to process. When they did, Alec had to fight not to flinch with every ounce of practiced skill he had. A coldness twisted around Alec's heart. His dragon had known he was out there and hadn’t come to him. Not once in the past eighteen years since then had this dragon ever come to find him. Instead, they’d stayed away, preferring the feeling of an unfulfilled bond over bonding with _Alec_.

The dragon made a low sound of pain and took another step closer. “It had nothing to do with you, Alexander. It was my own fear and pride that let my hatred for your parents get in the way of my bond with you.” Another step, leaving them just inches apart. “You didn’t deserve that. And neither did I.”

“Why?” It was the only question Alec could think to ask. His mind was caught up in the idea that he could’ve missed out on _this_. He could’ve spent the rest of his life alone, wondering what was wrong with him, why even his dragon didn’t want him. Alec felt an ache throbbing inside of him. He knew it was echoing down his parabatai bond, but he couldn’t stop it.

Jace sent back a wave of concern and comfort. That concern was going to grow if Alec couldn’t get himself under control.

Alec watched as his dragon briefly closed their eyes. They drew in a breath like they were bracing themselves, and then blew it back out, opening their eyes as they did. “My name is Magnus Bane.”

Everything in Alec's brain briefly stalled. The implications of that had the rest of him freezing as well. He didn’t need Magnus to say more – what he’d already said was enough. Just his name told Alec all he needed to know.

Everyone in the Shadow World knew the name Magnus Bane. He was one of the oldest dragons out there – and said to be one of the most powerful. He’d also fought hard on the sight of the Downworld during the Uprising. Magnus was responsible for protecting so many of the dragons, werewolves, vampires, even the seelie and unseelie who usually kept to themselves. So many Circle member deaths could be laid at Magnus’ feet.

Though the Clave wasn’t all that fond of him – scared of him, more like – they acknowledged that they owed him a debt for the way he’d protected people. Even if Alec got the feeling from some accounts that Magnus had protected the Downworld, and the shadowhunters helped were often simply because they’d been _there._

Alec knew that Magnus had gone up against Alec’s parents in one of the battles that had finally turned their parents around and showed them that what they were doing was _wrong_. Even then, it was almost too late. The Lightwood name had been almost destroyed by the actions of Maryse and Robert during the wars. The things they’d done – Alec had been battling to prove himself better than that from the moment he was born.

Apparently he’d been fighting on more fronts than he’d realized. Not just with the shadowhunters, but with the dragons, too.

_Of course. Because who would want to be with the son of two known ex-circle members?_ Alec closed his eyes as a wave of pain washed over him. Unconsciously he straightened his body up, fighting back the urge to curl his arms around himself and hold on against the anguish of it.

Magnus made a low, pained sound that seemed to rumble up from his chest. All at once Alec felt it as Magnus' wings went from sheltering them to curling around Alec, pulling him in until Alec was crashing against Magnus' chest. The dragon stretched his head up a little higher so that Alec was free to press into his neck, arms instinctively curling around it.

“I'm sorry,” Magnus murmured, head curving over Alec's shoulder and behind his head, hugging him in even tighter. Magnus was gentle enough that his scales wouldn't harm Alec while still being firm enough to make sure that Alec was secure against him. “I'm so sorry, Alexander. My wonderful, beautiful Rider.”

Being pressed up against him like this took some of Alec's ache and replaced it with a growing warmth deep down in that place where every shadowhunter was told the bond would be. It was somewhere near his parabatai bond yet didn't get too close to it.

Magnus made as if to curl a wing in tighter against Alec's back, maybe to draw him closer, only the pressure had the shadowhunter hissing in pain. There were a few spots on his back and on his chest that were sore from his trip into the weapons rack.

As soon as Alec let out that low hiss, every inch of Magnus locked down tight, and then Alec got his very first glimpse of being on the receiving end of an overprotective dragon.

“You're hurt!” Magnus' voice echoed sharply around the room. His wings were gentle as they drew back, yet he was already ducking his head, nosing at bits of Alec as something warm and sparkling curled all around Alec's body. Magic spread over Alec's body like a caress. Everywhere it touched, it left behind warmth, and chased away even the smallest of muscle aches from his sparring with Jace. When it reached his back, Magnus let out a growl that vibrated him and Alec both. Yet despite the furious tone to that growl, his magic gentled even more, soothing away the ache and drawing out the bruise. It chased away every minor injury Alec might've had until he was left boneless from it all, slumping against Magnus' chest.

The only thing that kept Alec from sinking straight to the floor was the wing that Magnus curled around him. He used it like a cradle to scoop Alec up and trap him against Magnus' chest like he was a small child.

Alec wanted to say something – knew he should, really. He was the Head of the Institute. He shouldn't be seen being carried around like this. But Magnus’ magic felt amazing. Now that it'd finished healing Alec it was just brushing over his skin, _inside_ of him, chasing away anything and everything but the warmth it gave him and the glow of the slowly growing bond. Alec let his head drop against Magnus' chest, arms loosely curled around his neck. He tried to speak, only what came out was nothing more than a low slur. “M'g's.”

“Shh, darling.” Magnus added a low croon to his words. One that had Alec melting all the more. “Let me take care of you.”

That sounded nice. When was the last time someone had taken care of Alec instead of it being the other way around? He'd always been the caretaker. It was what he knew how to do – what he was good at. He might not always be the best at talking to people. He was, however, good at making sure they were taken care of, even if they didn't always appreciate it. Very few had ever returned the favor.

Alec felt it as Magnus' chest rumbled with another growl. The world seemed to be shifting, someone was speaking nearby, and Magnus gave a louder growl that wasn't meant for Alec. How he knew that, Alec wasn't sure. He just did.

Then suddenly they came to a stop and the world was shifting once more. Magnus used his wing to carefully draw Alec away from him. Only, before Alec could make a protesting sound, Magnus was moving again and laying Alec down on something warm and soft. Instead of being at Magnus' chest, Alec felt himself get tucked in against his belly, Magnus' wing still tucked around him.

It was the safest Alec could ever remember feeling. Cuddled in close against the belly of his dragon, a wing around him to keep him there and keep him warm, Alec knew that he was safe. Nothing would be able to get him here.

“That's right.” Magnus tightened his wing until Alec was a little closer, laying more on him than against him. That seemed to satisfy him. In the next second he was letting out a low rumbling purr that sent comforting vibrations against Alec's whole body. “I have you now, darling. My wonderful Alexander. I won't leave you alone ever again. You're mine now, and I protect what's mine. I’ll make it up to you for leaving you alone for so long, I promise.”

That sounded perfect. Smiling, Alec stopped trying to think beyond the humming of the growing bond, or really anything. He was with his dragon, he was safe, and his Institute was cared for. There were things in place that would kick in during the event of the Head bonding. Alec hadn't expected it to happen, but he'd planned for it just to be on the safe side.

Now, he was glad he did. It meant he didn't have to worry about a thing as he simply lay there in the little nest Magnus made for them and felt himself at peace for the first time in a very long time.


End file.
